A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets.

This custom is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisis love for all creatures.
Francis, whose feast day is October 4th, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town.

Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to Gods living things. All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.

That there are today over 60 million birds in the U.S. attests to the continuing affection we have for our furry, feathered or finned friends.

The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, human and animal, are two creatures of love.

No wonder people enjoy the opportunity to take their animal companions to church for a special blessing. Church is the place where the bond of creation is celebrated.

At Franciscan churches, a friar with brown robe and white cord often welcomes each animal with a special prayer. The Blessing of Pets usually goes like this:

Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.

As I watched this video I discovered that we somehow forgot to add pebbles name to the participants. The wonderful thing is that he was the most impacted by this event!
Many images were provided by http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ (less info)